Self-contained emergency oxygen breather



"Oc 7, 1947. l. M. LEYITT 1 "2,428,425

SELF-CONTAINED EMERGENCY OXYGEN BREATHER Filed Aug. 6, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheetl FIG;

INVENTOR.

ISRAEL M LEVITT fi mdiw Oct. 7, 1947. l. M. LEVlTT 2,423,425

- SELF-CONTAINED EMERGENCI OXYGEN BREATHER Filed Aug. 6, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR. ISRAEL M LEVITT Patented Oct. 7, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE SELF-CONTAINED EMERGENCY OXYGEN BREATHER 3 Claims. I 1 'The present invention relates to respiratory apparatus and it relates more particularly to an oxygen respirator or the like.

An object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved respirator. Another object of the present invention is to provide a small, simple, compact, light-weight, inexpensive and self-contained emergency oxygen breather or respirator. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a self-contained oxygen breather which is capable of quick attachment and which does not require supporting straps or belts or the like.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention are apparent in the following detailed description, appended claims and accompanying drawings.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the accompanying drawings one form thereof which is at present preferred, although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which the invention consists can be variously arranged and organized and that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and organizations of the instrumentalities as herein shown and described.

Referring to the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters indicate likeparts throughout:

Figure '1 represents a side .elevational View of one embodiment of the present invention asit appears in use.

Figure 2 represents a vertical cross-sectional view of the embodiment of Figure 1, enlarged to approximately double scale;

Figure 3 represents a plan view of the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2. V

Figure 4 represents a cross-sectional view, drawn toi-ull scale, generally along the line 4-4 oi-Figure l.

Figure 5 represents a cross-sectional view, drawn to full scale, generally along the line 5-5 or Figure 1.

'Inone embodiment of the present invention shown generally in Figures 1 to 5, I may provide a socket or container 19, which may be of light-weight metal or. the like, which is open at its upper end and is adapted to receive a sealed cartridge H in inverted position. The cartridge H may contain compressed oxygen o .air or other gas capable of supporting life.

The lower end of the socket in is provided with a reduced axial opening l2 into. which the neck I3 of the cartridge I 1. fits. A compressible ring it of rubber or the like is adapted to pro- 2 vide a resilient air-tight support for the l-5 of the cartridge 1 I,

A yoke I6 is adapted to it over the open upper end of the socket ill. The yoke I6 is provided with a notch 36 which is adapted to engage with a pin 32 mounted adjacent the upper end of the socket [0. A bolt or shoulder screw 33 is adapted pivotally to mount the yoke IE5 upon the socket ID, as indicated particularly in Figures 3 and 4.

The yoke l6 carries a knurled screw 34 which is adapted to be tightened against the adjacent portion of the cartridge l l and to force it against the ring 14 so as to prevent wobbling or other undesirable movement of said cartridge when the breather of the present invention is in use.

Tightening of the screw 34 also'locks the yoke l6 inthe position shown in solid lines in Figure 3.

.A perforable seal i1 is provided at the end of the neck I 3 of the cartridge 1 I.

A piercing element I8 is slidably disposed within the opening 12 and is normally urged to lowermost position, away from the seal IT, and against a shoulder l9, by a helical spring 20.

A knurled screw 2! is adjustably mounted at the lower end of the opening I2 and is adapted to force the piercing element It! upward against the tension of the spring 29 so as to perforate the sea] I? of the cartridge I l.

When this occurs, the oxygen or other gas contained within the cartridge ll escapes therefrom and passes through apertures 22 provided inthe element l8 into a flexible bellows-like storage bag .23 to be hereinafter described.

The storage bag 23, which may be of rubberized silk or other flexible fluid-tight material capable of imperviously containing gaseous materials, is fitted over the enlarged .knob or head 2d of an apertured connector 25 which is in communication with the opening Q2. The mouth of. the bag23 is held in position upon the knob 2.4 by an adjustable clamp 26.

A pipe 21 which communicates with the opening l2, leads from the lower end of the socket it and is provided, at its free end, with an aper tured mou-th-piece .28 of rubber or other resilient material. The mouth-piece 28 is provided with indentations 29 whereby the mouthpiece can be gripped between the teeth of the wearer; the lips and tongue of the wearer forming a hermeticalseal around the mouth-piece Z8.

A bifurcated clamp member 39 (shown particularly in Figure 5) is iastened adjacent the low er partoi the socket it) by means of a pair of screwtrneadedholtsufll and is provided at its upper shoulder end with a, pair of rubber pads 35 adapted grippingly to fit over and to seal the nostrils of the wearer, as indicated in Figure 1.

The operation of the novel emergency breather of the present invention is as follows:

Should the need arise for an emergency supply of oxygen (as for example, when the wearer is' under water or is in an atmosphere containing insuificent oxygen or containing noxious gases),

he attaches the emergency oxygen breather by gripping the mouth-piece 28 and by fastening the pads 35 of the clamp member about his nostrils to shut off breathing through the nose. 1

The screw 33 is then, tightened to drive th piercing element I8 upward and to break the seal [1. This permits the oxygen or air within the cartridge I I to escape into the bag 23. As car be seen particularly in Figure 1, theapertured connector 25, the opening l2, the pipe 21 and the apertured mouth-piece 28 form a continuous passage from thev bag 23 to the mouth of the wearer.

Thus, when the wearer breathes through his mouth, he takes in oxygen from the bag 23.

The wearer continues *inhaling from and exhaling into the bag 23 thereby gradually using up the oxygen. 7 V V V The cartridge H can be made large enough to provide sufficient oxygen for or minutes or known in the art, to permit venting of the exhaled air and thereby to preventthe building up of carbon dioxide in the breather'system.

When it is desired to replace an exhausted cartridge, the screw 2| is retracted and the upper screw 34 is then retracted to loosen the yoke lfi and to permit it to be swung about the bolt 33 to the position shown in the'dash-dot lines in Figure 3. The socket Ill is then inverted whereupon the exhausted cartridge drops out. 1

A new cartridge can then be inserted and the yoke l6 swung back'to the solid-line position of Figure 3 after which the screw 34 is tightened and the oxygen breather is ready for use.

The compressible ring ,I 4, in addition to provide 7 a resilient support for the shoulder of the cartridge H as described above, also forms a fluid-tight seal intermediate said cartridge l land 7 the adjacent portion of the socket H'Lthereby V preventing escape of oxygen through the open invention provides asmall, simple, compact,

light weight, self-contained, easily attached unit which requires no supporting straps or braces or masks, other than the clamp member 30 which is essential to prevent breathing through the nose and therrubber bit that forms the mouthpiece.

Thus, the breather and the oxygen supplyare 4 should any emergency arise requiring a rary source of oxygen.

The breather of the present invention can be inexpensively manufactured and, therefore, can be made available for many purposes forv which the conventional, relatively expensive, respirators heretofore employed would not be used due to their considerably greater cost and to their comparative difliculty in installation.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be considtempoered in all respects as illustrative and not restric tive, reference being had to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

Having thus described my'invention, I claimlas new and desire to protect by Letters'Patent:

1. A respirator comprising a generally vertical socket having an open top and constructed-and arranged to receive a small sealed cartridge of compressed oxygenor the like in inverted position, a yoke pivotally mounted at the top of said socket, said yoke having a screw adapted to tighten against the cartridge and torlock' said cartridge within said socket, said socket having a conduit adapted to receivethe discharge end of said cartridge, an expansible fluid-tight c0n+ tainer supported by said socket and communi-' cating with said conduit, a piercing needle slida-' bly mounted within said conduit, 2, spring normally urging said needle away from the discharge end of said cartridge, a screw adapted to force said needle against said spring into piercing rela tionship with the discharge end of saidcartridge thereby to permit thecontents of said cartridge to fill said container, a pipe communicating with r u said container, an apertured mouth-pieceof rub 7 her or the like mounted on the free end of said pipe, and a nose-clamp fastened to said socket and adapted resiliently to close the, nostrils of the wearer, said mouth-piece and said nosesclamp providing theentire'support for said respirator and cartridge. 7

2. A respirator comprising arranged to'receive a, small sealed cartridgeiof saidyoke having a screw adapted to tighten both supported primarily by the teeth and nose 7 of the wearer and the usualrequirement of straps or' belts (conventionally employed to support a remote oxygen tank or the like) is eliminated;

This permitsthe'novel breather of the present invention to be carried about ina coat pocket or' the like and to be installed, on a moments notice, a

against the cartridge'and to lock said cartridge Withinsaid socket, said socket having'a conduit adapted to receive the discharge'end of said car tridge, an expansible fluid-tight container supported by said socket and-Icommunicatingwith said conduit, a piercing needle mounted within said conduit, means for forcing said needle into piercing relationship with the discharge end ofv said cartridge thereby to permit the contents of said cartridge to fill said'container, a pipe communicating with said container, an apertured mouth-piece mounted on the free. end of said,

pipe, and a nose-clamp fastened to said socket. V and adapted t'o close the nostrils, 0f the wearer; said mouth-piece and said'nose-clamp providing" for said respirator andcarthe entire support tridge. r

a generally vertical socket havingran open top and constructedand ISRAEL M. LEVITT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,385,938 Pierce Oct. 2, 1945 1,814,506 Davis July 14, 1931 1 2,001,673 Davis May 14, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 366,626 Great Britain Feb. 11, 1932 

